How do children from different settings perceive and define nature? A qualitative study conducted with children from southern Brazil / ¿Cómo niños de contextos diferentes perciben y definen la naturaleza? Estudio cualitativo con niños del sur de Brasil

Abstract

Environmental perceptions are associated with the way in which people experience the environment and relate to its psychosocial dimension, encompassing cognition and affect towards the environment. The aim of this study is to ascertain how children aged between eight and 12 from three different settings (urban, coastal and rural) perceive and define nature. Participants were asked to draw a picture and then, on the basis of this drawing, answer the following question: ‘What is nature to you?’ Content analysis was used to process the data obtained, giving rise to three categories that emerged through the notions and concepts mentioned by the children: elements of nature, human productions and relationship with the environment. One of the salient findings was that children display a similar way of representing nature that does not appear to be significantly linked to their place of residence. Furthermore, the majority of them associate nature with positive affect. However, the results point to the need for further studies conducted from a multi-method perspective in order to improve understanding about children’s environmental perceptions of nature.